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Douglas, Isle of Man

Douglas (Manx: Doolish, pronounced [ˈdðuːlʲəʃ]) is the capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of 10.5  km2 (4.05  mi2). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of two miles (three kilometres). The River Douglas forms part of the city's harbour and main commercial port.

Douglas was a small settlement until it grew rapidly as a result of links with the English port of Liverpool in the 18th century. Further population growth came in the following century, resulting during the 1860s in a staged transfer of the High Courts, the Lieutenant Governor's residence (actually located in nearby Onchan), and finally the seat of the legislature, Tynwald, to Douglas[1] from the ancient capital, Castletown.


The city is the island's main hub for business, finance, legal services, shipping, transport, shopping, and entertainment. The annual Isle of Man TT motorcycle races start and finish in Douglas.

Name[edit]

It is generally agreed upon that the toponyms of English Douglas and Manx Doolish both come from Proto-Celtic *duboglassio-, where *dubo- (which survives today in Welsh as du and Irish as dubh) meant 'black; deep' and *glassio- (surviving in Welsh glais and Irish glais) meant 'water, river'; thus, it probably meant 'deep river'.[2] The name of the city thus came from a nearby river. It is a common name for place names around the British Isles, related to other toponyms such as Dyfleis, Dulais, Develish, Dawlish, Dowlish and, of course, other settlements named Douglas.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

In the absence of any archaeological data, the origins of the city may be revealed by analysis of the original street and plot pattern. The discovery of a bronze weapon in central Douglas,[3] and the large Ballaquayle Viking treasure hoard[4] on the outskirts (now in the Manx Museum and British Museum, London[5]), both in the 1890s, hint at the early importance of the site now occupied by Douglas. Scholars agree that the name of the city derives from Early Celtic 'Duboglassio' meaning 'black river'.[6] Douglas is twice referred to in the monastic Chronicle of the Kings of Man and the Isles: first in 1190, when the monks of St Mary's Abbey at Rushen were transferred there for a four-year stay; then again in 1313, when Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, spent the night at the "monastery of Duglas" on his way to seize Castle Rushen.[7] These may be references to the site of the later Nunnery, a little upstream from the port.


The first detailed documentation shows that in 1511[8] there were only thirteen resident households in the settlement clustered north of the harbour; most of the property there was classified as "chambers"[9] (unoccupied, unheated, single-celled structures) for which rent was paid by non-residents including clergy, officials and landowners from elsewhere on the island. This suggests that the city's nucleus originated as a non-urban port.[10] Speculation links the store buildings with the Irish Sea herring fishery, and the import/export trade.

Growth and development[edit]

In 1681 Thomas Denton described Douglas as "the place of greatest resort" on the Isle of Man, and by 1705 a clear picture of the early town emerges, with hints that its residential, market, and military defence functions were growing in importance[11] alongside the port facility. The town thrived in the next 60 years, as imposing merchants' houses, large warehouses, quays and a pier were built to accommodate the burgeoning "running trade" (smuggling): one of the stimuli for the town's expansion.[12] Other forms of trade also grew, and after the Revestment Act 1765, Douglas began to reap the benefits of transatlantic trade, due in part to co-operation at a local level with Liverpool.[13] Legitimate merchants who rose to prominence over the period included the Murreys, the Moores, and the Bacons.[13] The town's later prosperity was facilitated by the low cost of living, and the favourable legal status enjoyed by English debtors and half-pay officers.[14] The initial growth and development of the ALR owed much to its natural harbour (now the Inner Harbour), since greatly expanded and improved. Over the 18th century, the town's population rose from about 800 in 1710 to nearly 2,500 in 1784.


Throughout the 19th century, the town's demographics followed the same trends as the United Kingdom, due to the Industrial Revolution. The number of holiday visitors grew from the early 19th century,[13] and from around 1870 onwards, the town was transformed into a leading holiday resort. But there were increasingly unsanitary conditions, and poor quality housing; again reflecting a trend seen across the United Kingdom.[15] The open sewage, middens (domestic waste dumps), and smell from the harbour at low tide all contributed to the town's uncleanliness. Oil and gas lamps first appeared in the late 1820s and 1830s, the first hospital to join the Dispensary was built in 1850, and in 1832 the scenic Tower of Refuge was built in Douglas Bay to offer shelter and provisions for sailors awaiting rescue.[16] Douglas in the first half of the 19th century often suffered from the destitution of its population and the many epidemics, in particular cholera.[13]


The rise of Douglas as the social and economic stronghold was recognised in 1869, when it became the home of the island's parliament, Tynwald, and therefore the capital, an honour previously held by Castletown, a smaller town in the south of the island. Douglas's political landscape also changed significantly in the 19th century, in spite of the conservatism of some townsfolk: in 1844, for example, at a public meeting, the idea of a town council was rejected in favour of retaining the system of Town High Bailiffs; when the Town Bill Act was passed at Tynwald in 1852, the people of Douglas again rejected the idea. However, an Act passed later that decade, which did not include opt-out clauses, was accepted, and in 1860, Douglas elected its first town council, which was predominantly middle class in its makeup. The Town Commissioners could tackle the town's problems with greater efficiency, and by 1869 the sewage problem had been largely resolved.[13]


The Commissioners also worked to alter the anachronistic architecture of Douglas, built during the era of fishing and trading, and no longer amenable or safe for tourists. The proportion of the total Manx population living in Douglas was also expanding, with 35% living there by 1891. The Victorian and later modernisation of the town was achieved at the expense of the original maze-like layout of the oldest streets. These were cleared away in the new street schemes and slum clearances of the 1870s to 1920s. The town's infrastructure was radically altered for tourists' convenience, and in 1878 the Loch Promenade was constructed. In 1870, there were 60,000 visitors annually; by 1884, this had grown to 182,000. In 1887, 310,916 visited for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.[13]

Demography[edit]

The Isle of Man census 2021 lists the population of Douglas as 26,677, a reduction from the 2011 population of 27,938. The 2001 census gave a population of 25,347. The city has 31.73% of the island's total population of 84,069.

Governance[edit]

Douglas elects eight members of the House of Keys: two each from four constituencies (Central, East, South and North). The House of Keys is the lower house of Tynwald, the Manx parliament. The local authority responsible for the running of services is the Douglas Corporation; 18 elected councillors sit as members of the Douglas City Council.

Transport[edit]

Douglas is the hub of the island's bus network, with frequent services to Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey, as well as various local bus services. The city also has the termini of the two main railway lines on the island: the steam railway to Port Erin and the electric tramway to Ramsey. It is also the home of the ferry terminal, from where the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company operates regular services to Heysham and to Liverpool (Birkenhead in winter) and occasional services to Dublin and to Belfast.

Media[edit]

The Isle of Man's three main radio stations Manx Radio, Energy FM and 3FM [36] are all based in Douglas. [37]


Local TV coverage is served by BBC North West Tonight on BBC One and ITV Granada Reports on ITV1.


The town is served by these local newspapers, the Isle of Man Examiner, the Isle of Man Courier and the Manx Independent.

The is a small castle-like shelter built upon Conister Rock in Douglas Bay as a sanctuary for shipwrecked sailors. Construction was instigated by Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.

Tower of Refuge

is home to the Grand Union Camera Obscura which has recently undergone restoration and is open to the public during the summer months. Other artefacts and remnants of Victorian Tourism can still be found on walks around the area.

Douglas Head

The that run along the promenade from the Villa Marina to the Manx Electric Railway station from spring to early autumn.

horse-drawn trams

run 15 miles from Douglas railway station to Port Erin in the south of the island.

Steam trains

The Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road marks the start and finish of the annual and various other motorsports.

TT Races

The and the Villa Marina are popular venues for all manner of stage acts: from rock music to comedy to drama to ballet. The Gaiety Theatre is one of the best surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham and dates from 1900. Both venues have recently undergone extensive renovations.

Gaiety Theatre

The award-winning in Kingswood Grove contains many of the most important cultural artefacts relating to the Manx nation. Highlights include the Calf of Man Crucifixion Stone, the Pagan Lady's necklace from the Viking excavations at Peel Castle, and the largest collection of Archibald Knox materials. It also houses the National Art Collection, and the National Archives.

Manx Museum

The is a street clock built in 1887 to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. It is located at the foot of Victoria Street at its junction with Loch Promenade. The location also marked the lower terminus of the Upper Douglas Cable Tramway.

Jubilee clock

Other buildings of interest include Isola restaurant, in John Street, and the Douglas Hotel, on the North Quay, both merchants' houses from the mid-18th century; the (formerly the Quality Hotel), a seaside mansion built by John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl in 1804, awaiting refurbishment; and the Loch Promenade, a curving terrace of former boarding houses dating from the 1870s.

Castle Mona

Douglas has a number of attractions and items of interest:


Douglas saw the first architectural essays of the Arts and Crafts architect Baillie Scott.

Professor FRS, FGS (1815 in Douglas – 1854 in Edinburgh) a Manx naturalist.

Edward Forbes

mathematician known for his contributions to quadratic forms theory

David W. Lewis

FRGS (1902 in Douglas – 1980) an English climatologist

Gordon Manley

(1896 -1985) the first woman doctor and surgeon of the Isle of Man

Dorothy Pantin

FRS (1941 in Douglas – 2002 in Oxford) a physicist who worked in the UK fusion power program

Derek Charles Robinson

The oldest surviving horse drawn tramway operating in Douglas on the Isle of Man

Douglas City Council

showing parish boundaries

Isle of Man Building Control Districts

Isle of Man Census Report 2006

Media related to Douglas, Isle of Man at Wikimedia Commons